mamejay

Hey everyone, Looking at getting a flash cart for my XEGS system. I am thinking of getting a SIO2SD but cannot find a strange answer to its compatibility with the XEGS. Will it work ok? Is it easy to navigate through the different folders etc using the LCD display? I also saw the SIDE2 Cart from the same seller and was interested in that one also. Do I need any expansions or anything for this to work with the XEGS? I think I need the 1mb expansion the same seller has. What is everyones opinion on what the best option is? I basically want to just play compatible games for my system. I have emailed the seller but have not receieved an response as of yet. Thanks

Hey everyone, Looking for a bunch of common XE carts to build up my collection. Really only wanting to spend a few $$ on each but will be willing to buy a few at a time if you have some. I am in Australia and obviously will cover all shipping cost etc. Message me if you have any doubles you wanna get rid of. Thanks!

Hey everyone, I am looking at messing around with making up a dev style repro cart. It will be mainly for 4K rom images. I know that there is a Harmony cart option but I still want to try and create my own cart. I do own a harmony cart. I have done some comparisons of the cartridge slot pinout and a 27C32 4Kb eprom and have found that it is nearly pin perfect except for a couple. The address links on the Atari cart slot go up to A12 but on the eprom they only go up to A11. I read on another guide that you connect A12 of the cart slot to a logic inverter and then the output from that goes to CS pin of the eprom. The only thing is the 27C32 does not have a CS pin. Only a OE pin. Is this the same? Do I actually need the logic inverter? Thanks everyone

Just read through the lot of this thread and all I can say is "These pretzels and making me thirsty!!"

Bump guys. Still looking for a XEGS/GM keyboard

Actually I need a XEGM keyboard. The one that attaches to the XE gaming machine. I have contacted myatari.com and seeing if they can deliver it to a hotel in America which I will be staying in 8 weeks time. Thanks so much for the other though!

Thanks for the advice guys. I will contact the hotel and see if they would except packages on my behalf. Also just on the US postal system. How long does it take for a package to arrive if send from the same state? As for the 2600 carts I have a few NTSC and PAL consoles and understand the different colour palettes used and different TIA chips etc. I now have a few XE carts on there way so will be able to see the beauty that is the Atari XE gaming system.

Hey everyone, I have an Atari XE console and I am looking for a keyboard for it. Not too fussed about the condition. Just want it working. I do live in Australia and obviously would cover all shipping costs. Have found a few on eBay but the price plus shipping is nearly double what I paid for the console. Anyone if anyone can help please message me! Thanks!

Thanks so much for that. Now I need to start looking for some cheap games. I really want to get myself a keyboard and some sort of SIO2SD device and play some of the disk based games. Found a few cheapish in the US but shipping is a killer. I will be in LA in November. Anyone recommend any local stores that may have some gear?

Hi everyone, Just wanted some advise on a Atari XE console i got recently. I live in Australia and grabbed an PAL XE console only. This does not have the keyboard. I have been trying to find crat games but they are near impossible to get my hands on. I have checked eBay US and there are a lot to choose from. Just wondering if it is possible to play NTSC carts on the PAL console? If not is there any mods that can be performed to allow this? Anothing thing. Is there any mod's to attach a regular PC keyboard to the console as I am having heaps of trouble finding one. I am wanting to play around with some SIO to PC type cables and software to load up disk based games. Anyway hope someone can shed some light on this for me. Thanks

Me too.

It actually has a built in power pack and uses just a standard figure 8 power cable. i will run some tests on the internal power supply tonight. i hope this is it as would be easier to replace components than trying to find custom chips from the Marty itself.

Thanks for that one Golden. i will check the voltages of the on cold boot and then check them later when the system warms up a bit. Could possibly be a back cap? Or you definitely think a regulator?

Was only given it by a friend of mine to try and fix. Its so weird. works perfectly on cold boot up but as soon as you reset and change the game it stops working.

Hey guys, I was recently given a FM Towns console to check over and try and get going. Its strange. The console works fine when its cold and as long as you do not switch it off from the intial cold boot it reads disks fine. If you play a game for like 5 minutes then switch off and change the disk the disk access light will not flash at all and it will not read any disks. I have cleaned the laser and checked over what I could and replaced all the CAPs on the CD board just in case but I am still getting the same issue. I have checked for any components over heating on the CD board but everything seems normal. i am sure the CD laser itself is fine and is something else wrong with it. Any suggestions? Not much information on this console. Thanks!

i just use warm water and bleach and soak the cases in. Use an old tooth brush to get in all the groves. Once dry i use armour all to polish up the plastic. Also magic eraser sponges are my new tool of choice to get cases nice and clean. Just wet them in water and rub the plastic. Be careful as they are like very fine grit sandpaper and can wear out stickers.

I had this problem with my power supply when i first got my Coleco PAL version. i opened up the PS and found that there was a lot of crude on the solder joins. i scrapped this crap off and resoldered as many points as I could. Fired it up and it's been working perfectly ever since.

I have done the PAL mod on 2 consoles and get pretty good results. Let me know if you have any problems getting it going.

I have fixed a heap of NES consoles. I just lift all the pins on the connector using a tiny flat head screw driver. I also open the carts and clean all the contacts using a metal polish. Brass is the brand we have here in Australia. Contacts come up shiny and like new. Never have a problem getting any game to work. You really don't need to replace the connector.

Another Melbourne collector here. I am more into the modding side of classic consoles for AV output, region switches etc. Have 2 x light sixers 2 x 2600 Jnr's 2 x 2600 Jnr's boxed 1 x 2600 NTSC Vader 1 x French 7800 (SCART) 1 x PAL 7800 1 x Gamecude 3 x SNES 2 x NES 1 x Sega Master System (Boxed) 1 x Sega Master System II 1 x Sega Mega Drive 2 x Sega Mega Drive II 1 x PC Engine 1 x PC Engine Core Grafix 2 x N64's 3 x XBOX1 1 x XBOX360 1 x Wii 1 x Dreamcast 1 x Saturn 1 x TV-Game-15 (Nintendo Pong console 1978) Damn didn't realise how many console I have. If anyone in Oz needs help with modding consoles let me know.

There should only be one sync line for both 2600 and 7800. i would start looking at the 7800 Chroma point and confirm that it is fine. Also what are you getting when running 7800 games? Is the screen still scrolling and B/W?

I got the same issue when doing mine with a dark image. i pulled everything out and started again. The second time it just worked perfectly. Not sure about what advise I can give. As for the points on the TIA and Maria you just need continuity direct to the TIA and Maria. BTW have you tried on any other TV to see if you get a better picture?

I use these for all my console mods. eBay Auction -- Item Number: 260599682588 Super cheap and if you drill the hole right they look factory installed. Just hit them with a hot glue gun from the inside so they don't move. Not as fancy as the steel connectors but at least there are no screw holes to drill.

Have a look at this thread http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/173828-7800-pal-b-composite-vout-scheme/ Towards the bottom I created a perf board diagram which worked fine on my PAL 7800

I have scored some bargains as sellers are just too lazy to give console a wipe down. I love getting old consoles and gutting them, totally washing the cases and then putting them back together and getting 200% more than I paid for them.